Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s communications director Alastair Campbell denied today that he had sought to “beef up” the Government’s notorious dossier on Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s supposed weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the Independent reports.
Giving evidence to the Iraq Inquiry, Campbell said that he had given “presentational” advice on the drawing up of the document published in September 2002, but he insisted that he never sought to override the intelligence judgments of the report’s …

Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be questioned by the official inquiry into the war in Iraq, but not until after the General Election, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The plan to summon Brown to give evidence was revealed in a statement from the inquiry team working for Sir John Chilcot. The statement listed witnesses who will be called to give evidence to the inquiry next year, who include former Prime Minister Tony Blair and his former spokesman …

A senior British officer today described how he urged the then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to delay the invasion of Iraq two days before the start of conflict because preparations for dealing with the aftermath were not in place, the Guardian reports.
Major General Tim Cross – who was attached to the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance set up by the US to manage the aftermath – told the official inquiry into the conflict that the …

Manufacturing has suffered a sharper decline under Labour than it did in the 1980ies under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s leadership, the Daily Mail reports.
The revelation will be an acute embarrassment for the Government, which have sought to portray the sector’s woes as a consequence of Tory neglect.
A study of figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that manufacturing’s share of the economy declined almost three times faster under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown than …

The inquiry into the Iraq war was told yesterday that intelligence on the fact that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not have access to weapons of mass destruction was received by the Government ten days before Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered the invasion of Iraq, The Times reports.
Inspectors in Iraq had also told the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that they believed that Saddam might not have chemical and biological weapons, but with British and US …

Sir John Chilcot opened the Iraq Inquiry by vowing that he will “get to the heart of what happened” before and during the war and “will not shy away” from criticising anyone who made mistakes, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The inquiry chairman said he and his team would be “thorough, rigorous, fair and frank” throughout the long-awaited hearing, which aims to “piece together from the evidence” what went right and what went wrong – and why.
He …

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair tonight bowed out of the race to become the first President of the European Council when it became clear that centre-right leaders, who dominate the EU, are determined that the post should go to their group, the Guardian reports.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown abandoned his support for Blair shortly before a dinner of EU leaders at an emergency summit in Brussels tonight, but he appears likely to secure for his former …

To my surprise, the readers of The Empire Chronicles have voted former Prime Minister Tony Blair as their favourite candidate for the EU presidency, despite the fact that his chances to nail the post are slimmer than ever.
42 per cent of the respondents – 620 people – said that Blair would be the best candidate to become the European Union’s first President. Former Czech President Vaclav Havel came in second with 22% support – 329 …

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has held discussions with Tesco over a £1 million deal to help the company open branches in the Middle East, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Blair, who is currently a peace envoy in the region, is understood to have discussed becoming a figurehead for the company’s drive to expand into the Middle East, but the talks are thought to have broken down after Blair, who is being touted as the first President …

French President Nicolas Sarkozy dealt a heavy blow to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s hopes of becoming European Union president by withdrawing support for his candidacy, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The French move, at an EU summit in Brussels, confirmed Foreign Secretary David Miliband as the British politician with the best chance of getting one of the new European jobs that will be created with the passing of the Lisbon Treaty later this month.
Miliband’s prospects were further strengthened …

According to a poll, fewer than one in three voters want ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair to be the President of the European Union, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The Daily Telegraph poll shows that British voters are also far from convinced Mr Blair’s candidacy. Only 31 per cent of voters want to see him become president of the European Council. Another 31 per cent are opposed, and 38 per cent said they are undecided.
The lack of overwhelming domestic …

Conservative leader David Cameron has issued his strongest statement against ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair becoming European Union president, saying the last thing Europe needs is the “all-acting” former prime minister at its head, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Cameron said that he was squarely against the role of President, however he added if there had to be one it should not be “El Presidente Blair”. Instead the role should be taken by someone who was a chairman rather …

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has become a surprise contender for the new post of EU foreign minister as an anti-Blair bandwagon gathers pace, The Times reports.
While the possibility of ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair becoming the new president of European Union has dominated debate in Britain, a growing number of EU capitals have been quietly focusing on the merits of Miliband.
No one in Europe believes that both of the prestigious new posts created in the …

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair could be crowned first President of Europe at a special summit of EU leaders next month, the Daily Mail reports.
Diplomatic sources say French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels to install Blair in the new £275,000-a-year post. Supporters of Blair’s candidacy are racing to get a deal stitched up as doubts grow about whether the forthcoming inquiry into the Iraq war could prove a major stumbling …

The Government is under pressure to explain why police have failed to charge two Libyan men in connection with the killing of WPc Yvonne Fletcher, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) were told by an independent prosecutor more than two years ago that they had sufficient evidence to charge two Libyans over the killing of WPc Yvonne Fletcher. Yet the information has not been acted upon and two suspects named in a …

Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave his backing today to the nomination of former Prime Minister Tony Blair for the future presidency of the European Union, AFP reports.
“Tony Blair has what it takes to become the EU’s first president,” Berlusconi said. “My government and I will do our best to ensure that a great political heritage built from courage, balance and prudence … will not dissipate.”
However, resistance is growing to Blair, notably in Belgium, Luxembourg and …